Why safety nets are dangerous

While safety nets are the industry standard for fall protection systems, they’re more dangerous than they are safe. Safety netting, despite being an oxymoron, offers a false economy. Yes, they’re cheaper upfront than Workdek’s superior fall prevention system, so some builders think they’ll be better off paying less. But the fact remains that builders will boost their profits tenfold by investing in Workdek, the system that increases their safety and productivity, by allowing them to work twice as fast.

Since our launch in New Zealand, we’ve opened many builders’ eyes by showing them bottom line results that are hard to argue with. Investing in a quality product like Workdek upfront will provide superior results. Back to safety; there are many reasons why safety nets are dangerous. To follow are just three.

1. Safety nets don’t prevent falls

Safety nets don’t offer any preventative measures, and they don’t focus on completely catching the fall. Safety nets are designed to decrease your velocity on the way down and break your fall. This system and philosophy doesn’t stop tools dropping through the netting onto your team, which is a regular occurrence on building sites. This means health & safety concerns which can cause building delays or worse.

While safety nets pawn themselves off as being an adequate safety measure for building sites, they don’t prevent falls from happening in the first place. They’re an ill-equipped ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.On the other hand, Workdek prevents falls from happening in the first place, which is directly in line with Worksafe NZ’s hierarchy of fall protection, that preventing a fall is better than capturing it.

1. Safety nets aren’t handled by trained professionals

Because safety nets are not required to be installed and uninstalled by trained professionals, they’re often handled incorrectly which decreases their already questionable effectiveness. Many builders install safety netting themselves which frequently leads to cutting corners on compliance which increases health & safety risks.

Worksafe NZ, an organisation responsible for protecting the health & safety rights of New Zealand workers, recently issued a safety alert around the shortcomings of nets, resulting in injuries and serious health & safety risks due to poor installation. Their investigations into the safety of netting on building sites revealed countless incorrect installations and non-compliant products nationwide. In the 21st century you shouldn’t have to settle for questionable practices that put builders at further risk. A career in building already presents a number of unique challenges and safety concerns. Greatly reduce the risk with Workdek.

1. Safety nets increase stresses on the body

Because safety nets don’t provide a stable surface to walk across, builders become overly cautious of their movements. While this isn’t a bad thing in itself, hyper-vigilance increases stresses on the body, decreasing your team’s productivity and wellbeing little by little every day.

With productivity and your team’s overall wellbeing on the line, using heavy duty tools while elevated are out of the question. This in itself stops your team from reaching their full productivity potential. When builders are given the right tools and assurance to reach their building performance potential, your business soars as a result.

If you’re tired of safety nets letting you down, step up with Workdek

Safety nets are so last century. It’s time to say hello to your new stable workmate, Workdek. The only work platform in New Zealand that prevents falls while boosting your productivity, efficiency, and profits. With Workdek you’re guaranteed to build more and make more.

It’s time to get serious about safety, productivity and profits by installing Workdek, your new stable workmate, on your building sites. To buy or hire Workdek for your next building project, call us today at 0800 3255 7233 or contact us online.